Kai Adams
Creating an inclusive recruitment process is a laudable aim in and of itself. One we should aim to deliver every time. But an inclusive recruitment process isn’t a shortcut to being authentically, lastingly inclusive. It isn’t a fig leaf to hide behind or a silver bullet to shoot. A process doesn’t solve a problem, though properly conducted it could facilitate a solution. A process should be the instrument, not the end game.
Inclusion – an inclusive culture – takes hard work. Ongoing work. Ongoing listening and ongoing learning. It’s not box ticking. It’s not decoration. You can’t just outsource it to someone else.
Being inclusive is an active decision. A way of being. It’s a congruence between words and actions, a closing of the gap between what you say and what you actually do. It’s shuffling up to allow space for others, sharing your place, sharing your power. It’s bringing other voices into the discussion. It’s about actively listening to opinions and experiences other than your own. About being open – genuinely open – to changing your mind. Recognising you might need to do things differently. Being challenged. Getting uncomfortable.
You can’t just want the process. You have to want the result.
